The Emma Press has launched a poetry book for children which addresses social anxiety and loneliness.

The Noisy Classroom, by Ieva Flamingo (pen-name of Ieva Samauska), is a collection of poems about school, aimed at children aged 8+. The poems follow a cast of characters from the eponymous ‘noisy class’ and staff at the school, and explore their interior lives. Through poems about anxiety, social media, and public vs. private personas, Flamingo skewers the particular stresses experienced by children in school today.

The book was originally published in Latvian as Skaļā klase (Pētergailis, 2015), and has been translated into English by Žanete Vēvere Pasqualini, Sara Smith and Richard O’Brien. The translation and publication of the book was supported by the Latvian Writers’ Union and Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.

The Noisy Classroom features the original illustrations by Vivianna Maria Staņislavska, for which Staņislavska was awarded the prestigious Jānis Baltvilks ‘Jaunaudze’ Award in 2016.

Publisher Emma Wright said: ‘I believe that children’s poetry is capable of doing a lot more than it’s often given credit for. The poems in The Noisy Classroom are lively, witty and entertaining, and they also tackle serious issues which I think will resonate with a lot of children – as well as adults.’

Ieva Flamingo will visit the UK in February 2018 to promote the book at some festival appearances.